The Buffalo Bills (1-0) are 2.5-point underdogs heading into Thursday night's matchup against the Miami Dolphins (1-0) at Hard Rock Stadium. The game will air at 8:15 pm on Prime Video and WKBW in Buffalo.

The Bills will be looking to avenge their Week 18 loss to the Dolphins, a game that ultimately cost them the AFC East title. Miami, meanwhile, will be hoping to build on their momentum from their Week 1 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Both teams have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, and this game has the potential to be a very close one.

Key Matchups

One of the key matchups to watch will be between the Bills' offense and the Dolphins' defense. The Bills' offense is led by quarterback Josh Allen, who is arguably the most dynamic player in the league. He is a dual-threat quarterback who can beat you with his arm or his legs, but he will need to be careful of the Dolphins' pass rush, led by Bradley Chubb, who had 2 sacks in the season opener.

The Dolphins' offense will be looking to exploit the Bills' secondary, which is still trying to find its footing after losing several key players in the offseason. The Dolphins have two of the fastest receivers in the league in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, so the Bills will need to be able to keep them in check if they want to win this game.

Expert Predictions

Here's what some of the experts are saying about this game:

Josh Allen's Mastery

• Pete Prisco | CBS Sports: "Josh Allen has owned the Miami Dolphins in his career with an 11-2 record. That won't change in this one. It's always tough on the Bills playing in the heat, but this is a night game. Sure, it's on a short week, but the Bills will do enough on defense and Allen will win it late. He continues his mastery over the Dolphins."

Bills Defense Under Pressure

• Bill Bender | Sporting News: "Both teams needed second-half comebacks in Week 1. Buffalo will have to slow down Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who both cleared 100 yards in the opener. Can Greg Rousseau, who had three sacks in Week 1, disrupt that timing with Tua Tagovailoa? Josh Allen spread the ball out to a new group of receivers, and the Bills have a little more help in the running game with James Cook, who had 103 total yards. Miami is 1-4 S/U against Buffalo under Mike McDaniel, but the TNF stage makes it a true coin flip."

Heat Factor

• Vic Tafur | The Athletic: "The Dolphins are already limping at running back, and Allen is playing with a banged-up non-throwing hand. Look for Tua Tagovailoa to exploit a Bills defense that is soft in the middle without Matt Milano. We'll take the best pass rush, as the Dolphins will have a tough time bothering left tackle Dion Dawkins and Allen, who ranked second in EPA per dropback after Week 1 at 0.46 and third in passer rating at 137.7. The Bills' Greg Rousseau, meanwhile, had three sacks against the Cardinals and leads the NFL in defensive production rating among pass rushers. Old man Von Miller also looked like a problem again."

Dolphins' Home Advantage

• Marcus Mosher | 33rd Team: "The Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins have played in some incredible games during the last few years, and this is already an important matchup early in the season. Miami is a slight favorite at home, and it has had a ton of success in home September games under Mike McDaniel. Meanwhile, Buffalo's defense looked rough out of the gate, and it will be without Taron Johnson on Thursday. But it has been extremely successful against the Dolphins with Josh Allen, winning 11 of their last 12 games."

Strengths and Weaknesses

• Ben Rolfe | Pro Football Network: "The first week for both of these teams showed us areas of concern but also how resilient each can be under pressure. Both mounted comebacks in different ways, with Josh Allen and the offense putting the team on their back, while the Dolphins relied behind their defense to shut down the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second half. That gives us the intriguing potential of strength vs. strength when the Bills' offense is on the field and weakness vs. weakness when the Dolphins' offense has the ball."

Bills' Offensive Strategy

• John LanFranca | The Action Network: "Joe Brady has his fingerprints all over this Bills' offense, as the shift to a run-heavy approach from this team after Ken Dorsey's firing in 2023 continues into 2024. Josh Allen is a huge part of Buffalo's rushing attack, and he has fully made the transition to a more efficient passer who takes fewer chances. In total, Buffalo ran the ball 33 times in Week 1 against the Cardinals with only 23 pass attempts. Allen completed 78.3% of those attempts and averaged 9.7 yards per attempt. This type of game plan bodes well against a Dolphins run defense I have questions about. Jacksonville gashed Miami for 4.9 yards per attempt and probably should have come away with the victory on the road had it not been for a goal-line fumble by Travis Etienne and a 20% third-down-conversion percentage throughout the game."

The Verdict

This game is a toss-up, and it could come down to the wire. The Bills have a slight edge in terms of head-to-head matchups, but the Dolphins are playing at home and have a lot of momentum after their Week 1 win. Ultimately, it will be a battle of wills between two of the best teams in the AFC, and it is sure to be a thrilling game for fans to watch.

What to Watch For

Here are a few things to watch for in Thursday night's game:

• Can the Bills' defense slow down Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle? These two receivers are among the most dangerous in the league, and they will be a tough matchup for the Bills' secondary.

• Can Josh Allen continue his dominance against the Dolphins? Allen has a 11-2 career record against the Dolphins, and he'll be looking to add to that total on Thursday night. He has a banged-up hand, so it will be interesting to see how he performs.

• Will the Dolphins' offense bounce back after a sluggish Week 1? The Dolphins' offense looked out of sync in their Week 1 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, so they will be looking to get back on track on Thursday night.

This game is sure to be a thrilling one, so make sure to tune in to Prime Video and watch it live!